Sacha Walters, Staff Reporter

Cast member Liam Neeson poses during the French premiere of 'Taken', held at the UGC Cite ciné Bercy in Paris, France, in February of this year. - Contributed

There's nothing worse than a father's wrath. Especially if that father is an ex-spy and his only child has gone missing.

He may not have ransom money but possesses the skills and determination to get her back.

That's the jumping-off point for the movie Taken, directed by Pierre Morel and written by Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. The film explores human trafficking under somewhat unsuspecting circumstances for parents and young girls who get caught up in releasing their inhibitions and go against intuition.

Bryan Mills, played by Liam Neeson, relocated and retired from his high-paced job in an attempt to salvage his relationship with his 17-year-old daughter Kim (Maggie Grace). The teenager wants to take a trip to Paris with her 19-year-old friend Amanda (Katie Cassidy). While Mill's ex-wife, Lenore (Famke Janssen), agrees to the trip they need his signed permission for her to leave the country.

The twists

Initially, he refuses because he is uncomfortable with the idea of his teenage daughter travelling across the world with limited supervision. He reluctantly concedes; on the premise she follows some safety rules.

The twists begin at the airport and quickly spiral into a heart-thumping sequence of events involving kidnapping, human trafficking and hard-core violence. Mills goes on a one-man mission with a 96-hour window, to rescue his child from being sold into prostitution. With curt and precise dialogue, Neeson delivers an ultra-serious and at times desperate character who observes no rules in his quest.

Following the film's screening at Palace Amusement's head office in central Kingston, last Thursday, the the group on hand gave it good reviews.

Hearts touched

The hearts of parents as well as teenagers were touched. For some, the violence was too much to handle but overall they believed it brought across the point forcefully.

"It brings into focus the need for parents to be on the same wavelength," said Lorna Peddie, training and development specialist at People's Action for Community Transformation (PACT). The organisation centres on preventative measures for human trafficking in Jamaica.

"The violence was a little over the edge, seeing that we live in such an already violent society, but it was realistic because when we try to educate our children about trafficking we tell them about the violence," said Sheila Nicholson, programme director of PACT.

The film is rated A16 and will be released next week in Palace Amusement theatres.